


Helping Hands

by PinkAfroPuffs



Series: Cowardly Kings, Forgotten Heroes [3]
Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: (tenderly patches up your wounds and scolds you), F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, or somewhat slow burn idk i get impatient
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 21:40:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21895774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkAfroPuffs/pseuds/PinkAfroPuffs
Summary: It's a daily grind, but sometimes a little special treatment can go a long way.
Relationships: Romani Archaman/Fujimaru Ritsuka, Romani Archaman/Original Character(s)
Series: Cowardly Kings, Forgotten Heroes [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731757
Comments: 2
Kudos: 49





	Helping Hands

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to do something more Christmas/Holiday related but this is Not It sowwy! christmas is coming too quickly and so much has happened...I'm tired...
> 
> If you like reading my stuff, find me on wattpad! I'm still PinkAfroPuffs, but I'm currently putting up my novel! It's the second best thing you can do for me (other than dropping a little change in my ko-fi to give me a christmas gift!)
> 
> Love you all!

“Alright, are we all set?”

There’s a bit of static on the receiver before he hears Ifumi’s voice answering him; the jostling of fabric as she checks communications smacks against the microphone before she says, “ _Yep! We’re in the basements! It’s really dark, but...at least I don’t hear anything skittering around yet!”_

“Optimistic, I like it.” Romani encouraged, checking the receiver on his end. “Alright, so the basements shouldn’t pose much trouble, but they _are_ a sort of ghost zone. It’s a gold mine for alchemical ingredients, kind of like its own workshop, but I’m not sure what might have been growing down there in the meantime. I’m sure it’s safe, though.” Mostly.

_“How can you be sure.”_

He didn’t answer that question on purpose. “You’ve got Mash and King David down there with you, so visibility shouldn’t be too poor. Archers have great vision. He might do better than my instruments, actually,” idly, he reached for his coffee, careful to glance at it before swiping it to take a drink from. Couldn’t have anything spilling on the command center. “Either way, it looks like a wave of enemies is just sitting around, waiting for you guys to come up on it. It shouldn’t be too much for you to handle. D’eon’s at your flank, right?”

 _“I feel like you’re trying to assure me about something, and it doesn’t make me feel good.”_ Ifumi said, her voice a tiny bit high pitched. _“I’m not going to be expecting spiders or anything like that, right?”_

“Mmmm…..no? Don’t think so.” He chirped, glancing at the files on hand and then the monitor. “Like I said, it’s no trouble, I’m sure. Just think of it as a training exercise.”

 _“Right, train- holy_ shit _what is THAT?!”_

A little fuzziness came over the microphone again, though he could see from his camera that some of the darkness had dissipated; two or three groups of what looked like trees were growing out of the ground, veins glowing bronze and following its shape into an open palm. 

“Oh,” Romani took a bit of the breakfast bar he’d brought along, “those are just Divine Arms. You’ll get used to them. They’re stationary-”

“ _Oh, I see. I see.”_ There was a pause on her end. When a moment passed, she told him, “ _I want to come back now,”_ in the flattest tone possible.

He almost choked on his coffee. “Uh- Well, it’s not-” 

“ _Romani, they’re hands.”_

“They can _hurt_ you, but they can’t _run_ after you,” he repeated, this time a bit calmer. “You should try to get used to this kind of thing.”

_“I would, but I expected something like huge bugs, not a bunch of disembodied hands, Romani!”_

Mm...now that he thought about it, this _was_ an entirely new experience for her. Maybe he should be a bit less-

 _“Ow!”_ The clamoring over the speaker made him lean forward, peering into the screen for anything that might help decipher the situation. “ _Right, they can’t move, so at least they won’t skitter towards me…”_

“Maybe we should be glad it wasn’t bugs? You sound kind of afraid of skittering things,” Romani joked, taking another sip of his coffee. They were doing well with the first few waves of enemies, now that they’d gotten the hang of it. 

_“Who_ isn’t _afraid of skittering things! Archer, please use ‘Harp of Healing’.”_

“Not everyone has the same fears,” he replied, taking notes, the flutter of papers almost drowning out Ifumi’s whine of ‘Romaaaaan’, as though begging him not to tease her. He wasn’t, though. Just stating facts. _In case other Masters are shaken up, remind them what waits in the basement. Maisbury creations, ‘Divine Hands’; while stationary, can be formidable enemies. Great for supplies to strengthen servants, and alchemical resources._

_“Most people don’t want to wake up with a spider on their face! Oh, perfect. These guys aren’t that tough.”_

“I _told_ you,” he began, and though he sounded exasperated, he couldn’t help but smile. “I told you it was fine! If you can’t rely on me as a commander, who can you rely on?”

 _“You’re reliable, but...you know. Wobbly._ ”

“W-” He almost spilled his coffee. What did she mean by that! “Wobbly…!”

_“You’re a smart but nervous kind of guy, right? Like I bet you almost spilled your coffee just now. Right? I’m right aren’t I?”_

He pouted despite himself. “That-” A grimace pulled at his mouth; a tiny bit put off, he cleared his throat to change the subject. “....have you gotten the materials?”

_“I have! Actually, I might do a bit more! This is sort of fun, now. Better to get a lot at once, right?”_

She did have a point. “Be careful of your stamina for it, okay? I know you’re getting the hang of things, but you should worry about your-” A sudden crash sounded over the receiver. “Ifumi?!”

_“I’m okay! Mash got me!”_

_“Senpai, that doesn’t look too good.”_

_“Oh, well, I guess we’re heading back, then. Whoopsie!”_

Roman heaved a heavy sigh. Truthfully, he should have known something like this would happen sooner or later, but it couldn’t be helped. “Give me a moment to bring you all back.”

* * *

“I _did_ say they could still attack you…” Roman sighed a bit to himself. Gauze in hand, he checked the burns on Ifumi’s own hand and wrist, gingerly pressing a cold compress to the skin.

“Ow,” she mumbled. “It’s alright. It’s just a burn. I’ve gotten worse burns while cooking.”

“Isn’t the point of cooking _not_ to get burned?” He chastised, squeezing his eyes shut. “You can’t be careless. If you keep doing things like this, you’ll keel over without any of us knowing.” 

She pouted rather severely at him, puffing out her cheeks just a little as he spoke. “I’m not _that_ careless, Doctor,” she huffed. “I’m not stupid! It’s not like I almost died.”

He peeked up at her from wrapping the burned area with gauze, raising an eyebrow at her. “That’s a nice sort of attitude to have, but a lot of small things can lead to death. You can never be too careful.”

This time, _she_ sighed. “Oh,” she shook her head, “I know. My dad used to say that a lot. He was a _huge_ germaphobe, you know? One or two steps removed from living in a bubble.”

He hadn’t meant _that_. “Now, hold on a second-”

“I know you didn’t _mean_ that, but…” She sort of grimaced. “I mean, is life worth living if you worry too much about a couple cuts and bruises?”

He nodded some. “Well, yeah, but-” He sucked on his bottom lip, thinking about how to put it. “You don’t have to act tough if something hurts, Ifumi.”

Again, she pouted. “I’m not acting! I’m just _tough_!”

Tough, though she looked like a soft chocolate cream puff and talked like a fairy princess. “Right, tough,” he repeated, then patted her hand, halfway covered in gauze. “So you can wrap this yourself.”

“Wh-” She wiggled a little in her chair, obviously displeased. “No, wait, I didn’t mean-”

“Take _all_ injuries seriously.” He repeated, this time in a firmer tone. He held up her hand to demonstrate, so that it was eye-level, half wrapped in gauze and obviously still stinging. “The small ones and the large ones. I know it’s tough, but we’re depending on you, and even though we’re running low on staff, you’ve gotta at _least_ be running at 80% operating capacity at all times.”

A repentant glance answered him. Wimp that he was, he grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “...look, uhm..what I mean is…” Augh, how could he be firm? It’s not like she needed a guardian…

A little smile pulled at one corner of her lips, her soft, rounded face taking on a rather sympathetic expression, eyes crinkling at their corners as she watched him. Then, a slow nod, her head sort of inclining as a little gesture for him to continue.

His cheeks burned _juuust_ a bit at that. “Okay, uhm. Do your best? But you can’t keep getting burned…” He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath through his nose, and grasped either of his own hands in a sort of clapping motion. “I can’t always be the one to patch you up. And besides, Mash is counting on you.”

She nodded quickly, as though she approved. “Yes, Doctor!”

Whew! “You made that a little hard for me, huh…” He sighed. “You know, everyone just started to like you. It’d be a little sad if you suddenly weren’t around anymore, okay?”

“Okay.” She scratched her cheek with her opposite hand. “Though I’m glad I’ve got a good doctor to take care of me just in case, right?” Then she winked. 

He rolled his eyes, trying not to smile. “Hey, now.”

“What? I’m right!” She protested. 

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere,” he half-lied, and finally finished wrapping the gauze around her hand and wrist. “You know how to deal with a burn, right? No heat near it, try not to get the bandage wet, all the normal stuff. Okay? And try to get hurt less.”

“Of course, Mr. Archaman, sir!” Ifumi smiled, though it very much made him think she was teasing him. 

He exposed his palms to her and shook his head. “Very funny. Alright, I need you to give me a detailed list of every item you picked up in the basements today. Would you be willing to do it again tomorrow around this time? We need some more intel on it-”

“Anything for you, Romani.” She chirped, and he nearly fell out of his chair, so she amended, “I-I mean, I’ll go. Tomorrow, I mean. Around the same time. Okay!” Before he could respond, she’d already made her escape and left him alone with a roll of gauze at his side and a first aid kit on the table. 

For a few minutes he sort of just sat in his chair, hands on his knees. Then he ruffled his own hair with both hands before pushing his bangs out of his face, leaning back on his chair so heavily is squeaked.

What? Why did she say it like that?! That was like playing dirty…! True, if she promised something, she’d probably make good on it, but it was a little mean to make him pull rank like that!

 _“Anything for you Romani.”_ Augh, he was always weak to a little flirt now and again! Was she just being cute? Maybe he’d been a little too transparent about what he’d bend over for….

He laid his head on the desk, squeezed his eyes shut, and groaned. Magi Mari wouldn’t treat him like this. In fact, after he thought about it, he might need her advice on this kind of issue-

Ugh. What was life about anyway? Suffering? Complicated workplace relationships? Inevitable demise? “Gotta get back to work,” he sighed, rubbing his face with both hands, then he put the first aid kit away to get started on a report of his own.

* * *

There is a young man slumped over at his workspace. It was two in the morning; most of the offices had gone quiet with the bare minimum of the equipment and staff left on standby at Chaldea. Papers were spread all around the desk and beneath the young man’s gloved hands and cheek, which rested on top of them all. 

Out cold. Which, seeing as they were in Antarctica, was a pun not lost on Ifumi. She’d come prepared, though. As she’d spent a few too many hours making sure her Servants were getting proper attention (rummaging those last few dragon fangs had been _trying_ ), she was already ready to turn in when it occurred to her that she wasn't the only person still at her “post” as it were.

With a blanket draped over her arm, she stealthily crept over to the only occupied chair in the command room and carefully covered its occupant with it. 

She hesitated. Rubbing the bandage on her hand, she considered the coffee cup within an arm’s reach from Roman; biting her lip, she plucked the cup from where it was sitting beside him and poured it out in the sink. 

From his chair, Roman stirred a bit at the gentle trickling of water; frozen, Ifumi waited for the motion to stop before she rinsed it and laid it face down on a paper towel.

...this was okay right? This was what friends did for each other. She wasn’t overstepping, right? Like, it was _fine_ , not romantic at all-

“Something the matter, Ifumi?”

Ifumi nearly jumped straight out of her skin. Lips pursed, she whirled to see the Universal Genius herself, Leonardo DaVinci, her own coffee cup in hand. “...Ms. DaVinci,” she began. It was hard to not call her ‘Ms.’; such a genius made her feel very small in comparison, and she couldn’t shake the feeling of gaining an older sister she never thought she’d need- or want- in her. In a voice barely louder than a whisper, she said, “Hi.”

“Hello,” DaVinci smiled, lips slightly pursed as though she’d just heard a joke so bad it was good. “He’s not a light sleeper, so you don’t have anything to worry about.”

If she could blush, she would have. “Oh…I mean, that’s good! It’s not...something I’m-” Her bandaged hand flew into the puff on the back of her head, gently pulling at its curls as she averted her eyes, noticing suddenly that DaVinci was carrying a blanket of her own, which was probably for Romani. “Oh, you- We had the same idea…! Haha, I-” It wasn’t weird! She shouldn’t get flustered about it-

“I won’t tell him,” DaVinci winked, a conspiritory smile pulling at her lips. “...mm. But I don’t think he’d be _upset_ to know you were here-”

“Great, thanks! Good night!” She whisper-shouted, then spun out of the room as quickly as humanly possible. 

Leonardo DaVinci only crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head as the young Master left. The world would probably end before either of them were honest about what was going on, but it hadn’t gotten annoying yet, so the genius would just watch, for now. 

As carefully as possible, she slipped the finished reports from under Romani’s chin; once they were free and the desk was clear, she flicked off the light and shut the door behind her. 


End file.
